In seasonal environments, accumulated energy reserves are important to avoid starvation mortality during periods of low resource levels. Here we investigated patterns of energy accumulation and the importance of growth history for winter survival in young-of-the-year Eurasian perch ( Perca fluviatilis ). Under simulated winter conditions in aquaria, we showed that high winter mortality most likely relates to the depletion of energy reserves in small perch. Correspondingly, in a field study, using four lakes covering 3–6 lake-years each, overwinter survival within cohorts was positively related to individual size. However, average size in autumn did not explain the variation in overwinter survival between cohorts. Instead, we showed that seasonal growth history is an important factor. High growth rates late in season may increase cohort survival over winter, irrespective of average size, related to a positive growth-dependent increase in allocation to energy reserves when approaching winter. Mechanisms regulating within-season temporal dynamics of growth rates are therefore suggested to be important for overall cohort performance.
Oyster reefs are among the most threatened marine habitats globally. In Europe, oyster reefs have been extirpated from most locations within their historical range. Active restoration of the native oyster (Ostrea edulis) in Europe has grown substantially in recent years. In sharing experiences between oyster restoration projects in Europe at the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance conference, NORA2, in Edinburgh in May 2019, it became apparent that a number of similar barriers are experienced.
This study identified the top 40 questions, which, if answered, would have the greatest influence on the policy and practice of oyster restoration in Europe. Initially 71 people were consulted across 28 institutions and 11 European countries to generate 194 questions. An established process of one round of pre‐workshop voting followed by a one‐day online workshop and two post‐workshop rounds of voting resulted in the final 40 questions.
Questions were broadly grouped into the following 10 themes: baselines, site selection, restoration methods, quantifying benefits, disease management, biosecurity, genetic diversity and population differentiation, policy and management, novel technologies, and current and future threats.
We anticipate that this list will provide a starting point for developing collaborative projects across the NORA network, as well as assisting policy makers and funders with identifying key areas that need to be addressed in order to overcome existing barriers to scaling up oyster restoration in Europe.
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